Vahagn the Dragon Slayer

In the ancient days, when the cosmos was young, heaven and earth were in labor. The purple sea, too, felt the pangs of creation. From the depths of a scarlet reed in the churning waters, smoke and flame billowed forth. Through the fire ran a youth with hair of flame, a beard of flickering light, and eyes that shone like twin suns. This was Vahagn, the god of fire and courage. He did not wait for adulthood; he strode across the Armenian highlands to confront the Vishaps—monstrous water dragons that choked the springs and brought drought to the land. With a roar that shook the mountains, Vahagn wrestled the serpents, his fiery strength boiling the waters they inhabited. He slew the dragons one by one, restoring the flow of life to his people. So great was his power that once, while stealing straw from an enemy king to provide for his people during a harsh winter, he dropped golden stalks across the heavens, creating the Milky Way. Vahagn remains the eternal symbol of Armenian strength, the light that devours the darkness of the abyss.